Tottenham manager says Bale will not play at start of season

Speculation hots up surrounding the Madrid and United target.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas has added fuel to the fire that is the future of Gareth Bale, after confirming the Manchester United and Real Madrid target will not play at the start of the season.

Andre Villas-Boas tells Sky Sports News that Gareth Bale will not be involved at start of season #SSN

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 15, 2013

Spurs start the new 2013/14 campaign with an away trip to Premier League new boys Crystal Palace on Saturday, but AVB has confirmed that the 24-year-old will not feature.
Bale has managed just one outing for the north London side in pre-season having suffered with injury and also did not play for Wales in Wednesday night’s 0-0 draw with the Republic of Ireland.
However, cynics suggest that the injury line is just a cover-up as Tottenham enter negotiations with Madrid over a world record transfer for the forward.
The fact that Bale is being left out of the match with Palace suggests that Spurs are preparing for life without the Welshman and a deal to leave White Hart Lane could quite possibly occur before the end of the transfer window.
Whilst Los Blancos are the favourites to sign the winger, the Red Devils are also keeping tabs on the Wales international – although Tottenham are likely to be more inclined to sell their best player to a foreign side.
Bale was in dazzling form last term as the Lily Whites just missed out on Champions League football by one point to rivals Arsenal, with the attacker netting 26 goals in all competitions.